When pelletizing or sintering ore the bulk material to be treated (for example iron ore or zinc ore) is loaded onto a pallet car where a plurality of cars forms an endless chain, also referred to as traveling grate. The pallet cars are filled with the bulk material and pass through various treatment stations, in which a thermal treatment of the material, such as drying, firing and cooling, is effected.
The pallet cars move along an endless path into the sintering furnace and experience high radiant heat as the material to be sintered is treated. The pallet cars experience substantial differential heating and cooling, in repetitive cycles, and as a consequence their components tend to expand and contract leading to warping and cracking, as well as loosening of components relative to each other.
Sidewalls enclose the bulk material to be treated, and are subjected to harsh conditions, especially the uppermost third portion which is closest to the radiant heat. Differential heating and cooling of sidewalls can lead to warping, cracking and loosening of connections with adjacent components. Existing sidewalls have limited structural bracing and inadequate material composition to reduce the structural deformation and material degradation which results from differential heating and cooling. Existing sidewalls tend to be made from materials such as ASTM A-297 HH with ferrite, which is susceptible to chrome degradation and/or corrosion and high temperature oxidation.
Furthermore, a single piece sidewall must be removed in its entirety for repair or maintenance, which may require partial disassembly of the pallet car. The resulting downtime increases expenses and cost of doing business.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a sidewall for sintering pallet car that overcomes the drawbacks of prior art sidewalls.